Hydrangea plant named ‘Little Lamb’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of  Hydrangea  plant named ‘Little Lamb’, characterized by its upright and outwardly arching plant habit; inflorescences held upright and outward on strong stems; compact, dense and conical-shaped inflorescences; and numerous flowers per inflorescence.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Hydrangea paniculatacultivar Little Lamb.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofHydrangea plant, botanically known as Hydrangea paniculata, andhereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Little Lamb.

The new Hydrangea originated from a cross-pollination during the summerof 1989 of a proprietary selection of Hydrangea paniculata identified ascode number 16, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with anunknown selection of Hydrangea paniculata, not patented, as the male, orpollen, parent. The cultivar Little Lamb was discovered and selected bythe Inventor as a single plant within the progeny of the statedcross-pollination in a controlled environment in Essen, Belgium.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by softwood cuttings taken inEssen, Belgium since 1995, has shown that the unique features of thisnew Hydrangea are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Little Lamb have not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature and light intensitywithout, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Little Lamb’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Little Lamb’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Upright and outwardly arching plant habit.

2. Inflorescences held upright and outward on strong stems.

3. Compact, dense and conical-shaped inflorescences.

4. Numerous flowers per inflorescence.

Plants of the new Hydrangea differ from plants of female parentselection in the following characteristics:

1. Inflorescences of plants of the new Hydrangea are smaller and moredense than inflorescences of plants of the female parent selection.

2. Plants of the new Hydrangea have smaller flowers than plants of thefemale parent selection.

Plants of the new Hydrangea can be compared to plants of the Hydrangeapaniculata cultivar P.G., not patented. In side-by-side comparisonsconducted in Grand Haven, Mich., plants of the new Hydrangea differedfrom plants of the cultivar P.G. in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Hydrangea were smaller than plants of the cultivarP.G..

2. Plants of the new Hydrangea had larger inflorescences than plants ofthe cultivar P.G..

3. Plants of the new Hydrangea had smaller flowers than plants of thecultivar P.G..

Plants of the new Hydrangea can also be compared to plants of theHydrangea paniculata cultivar Tardiva, not patented. In side-by-sidecomparisons conducted in Grand Haven, Mich., plants of the new Hydrangeadiffered from plants of the cultivar Tardiva in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Hydrangea were smaller than plants of the cultivarTardiva.

2. Plants of the new Hydrangea had larger and more dense inflorescencesthan plants of the cultivar Tardiva.

3. Plants of the new Hydrangea had smaller flowers than plants of thecultivar Tardiva.

4. Plants of the new Hydrangea flowered earlier than plants of thecultivar Tardiva.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the unique appearance ofthe new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newHydrangea.

The photograph at the top of the sheet is a side perspective view of atypical plant of ‘Little Lamb’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view of atypical inflorescence of ‘Little Lamb’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants used in theaforementioned photographs and in the following description were grownin Grand Haven, Mich., in ground beds in an outdoor nursery and underconditions which closely approximate commercial production conditions.Plants were about 3.5 years old when the photographs and descriptionwere taken. Photographs and description were taken during the summerwhen the plants were in full flower.

Botanical classification: Hydrangea paniculata cultivar Little Lamb.

Parentage:

Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of Hydrangea paniculataidentified as code number 16, not patented.

Female, or seed, parent.—Unknown Hydrangea paniculata selection, notpatented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—By softwood cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About 12 days at 25° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting or liner.—About 90 days at 25°C.

Root description.—Thick, fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching, dense.

Plant description:

Form/growth habit.—Upright and outwardly arching plant habit; bushyperennial shrub. Rounded and moderately vigorous.

Usage.—Appropriate for one to three-gallon containers.

Plant height, soil level to top of plant plane.—About 50 cm.

Plant diameter or area of spread.—About 50 cm.

Branching habit.—When pruned, freely branching with potentially about 96lateral branches per plant.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 29 cm. Diameter: About 4 to 5 mm.Internode length: About 6 cm. Texture: Glabrous. Color: 177A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Typically opposite, occasionallywhorled. Length: About 9 to 9.5 cm. Width: About 4 to 5 cm. Shape:Lanceolate to ovate. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Obtuse. Margin: Serrulate.Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent; rugose. Venation pattern:Pinnate. Color: Young and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 137B.Young and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 138A. Venation, uppersurface: 138A. Venation, lower surface: 138B. Petiole: Length: About 1to 1.5 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm. Color: 138B.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit.—Single fertile and sterile flowers arranged onterminal panicles; panicles compact, dense and conical in shape. Sterileflowers with large showy sepals and without petals and reproductiveorgans. Fertile flowers small with petals, sepals and reproductiveorgans. Sterile flowers persistent; fertile flowers not persistent.Flowers not fragrant.

Natural flowering season.—Continuously flowering during the summer inGrand Haven, Mich.

Flower longevity.—Sterile flowers last about 90 days on the plant;fertile flowers last about one week on the plant.

Quantity of flowers.—Freely flowering; about 1292 sterile flowers andabout 627 fertile flowers per panicle.

Flower diameter.—Fertile flowers: About 3 mm. Sterile flowers: About 1.5cm.

Flower depth (height).—Fertile flowers: About 3 mm. Sterile flowers:About 6 mm.

Flower buds (fertile and sterile flowers).—Length: About 1 mm. Diameter:About 1.5 mm. Shape: Obovate to rounded. Color: 142B to 157B.

Petals (petals present only on fertile flowers; sterile flowers do nothave petals).—Arrangement: About five. Length: About 2 mm. Width: About1 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire.Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: When openingand fully opened, upper surface: 155A; color becoming closer to 157Awith development. When opening and fully opened, lower surface: 155A.

Sepals.—Quantity per flower: Fertile flowers: About five, fused into acalyx. Sterile flowers: About four. Length: Fertile flowers: About 0.5mm. Sterile flowers: About 7 mm. Width: Fertile flowers: Less than 0.5mm. Sterile flowers: About 5 mm. Shape: Fertile flowers: Connate.Sterile flowers: Elliptic. Apex: Fertile flowers: Acute. Sterileflowers: Obtuse. Base: Fertile flowers: Fused. Sterile flowers:Attenuate. Margin, fertile and sterile flowers: Entire. Texture, fertileand sterile flowers, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color:Fertile flowers: When opening and fully opened, upper and lowersurfaces, 157B. Sterile flowers: When opening and fully opened, uppersurface: 155A; color becoming closer to 157A with development. Whenopening and fully opened, lower surface: 155A.

Pedicels.—Angle: Fertile flowers: About 90 to 150° from vertical.Sterile flowers: About 150° from vertical. Strength, fertile and sterileflowers: Strong. Length: Fertile flowers: About 1 mm. Sterile flowers:About 1 cm. Color, fertile and sterile flowers: 155A to 157B.

Reproductive organs (reproductive organs present only on fertileflowers; sterile flowers do not have reproductive organs).—Stamens:Quantity per flower: About ten. Anther shape: Round. Anther length: Lessthan 1 mm. Anther color: 155A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color:157A. Pistils: Pistil quantity per flower: Three, fused. Pistil length:About 0.5 mm. Stigma shape: Three-lobed. Stigma color: 157B. Stylelength: About 0.5 mm. Style color: 157B. Ovary color: 142C. Seed:Length: Less than 0.5 mm. Diameter: Less than 0.5 mm. Color: Brown.

Disease/pest resistance: Under commercial production conditions, plantsof the new Hydrangea have not been observed to be resistant to pathogensor pests common to Hydrangea.

Weather tolerance: Plants of the new Hydrangea have been shown to betolerant to temperatures ranging from −30 to 33° C. Flowers of plantshave exhibited excellent tolerance to wind and rain.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea plant named‘Little Lamb’, as illustrated and described.